"I was always the shame of the family - the one Yankee who was actually born in the North"

This quote by Randy Harrison talks to the idea of identity and belonging. It recommends that the speaker was born in the North, however was declined by their family since of it. This might be since the family was from the South, and the speaker was seen as an outsider. The speaker's identity as a "Yankee" provided embarassment for their household, and the speaker was made to seem like an outcast. This might be since of the long-standing tensions in between the North and the South, and the speaker's household may have seen them as a tip of the past. The speaker's identity provided embarassment for their household, and the speaker was made to seem like an outsider. This could have triggered the speaker to feel separated and detached from their household, and it might have had a lasting effect on their sense of self-respect. The quote speaks with the idea that identity can be a source of both pride and shame, which it can form how we see ourselves and how we are viewed by others.